KM: Chapter 44

Ji An was bullied all night and was truly exhausted. He nestled in You Chen's arms and slept deeply, not waking even by noon. You Chen, afraid that Ji An would feel uneasy if he woke up and didn't see him, called in to take the day off and spent the morning holding Ji An as they slept.

When You Chen woke up for the second time, Ji An was still asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, You Chen got ready and planned to return to bed to accompany Ji An. In a daze, Ji An grabbed his hand and said he wanted some water. Going downstairs to get a cup of warm water, You Chen suddenly remembered he hadn't prepared milk formula for Ji An the previous night.

Panic set in for You Chen. He had always been meticulous, even overly cautious, in caring for Ji An. He feared that if Ji An woke up and didn't see him, he would lose his sense of security again. He worried that if Ji An didn't drink his milk formula, he would lose his appetite again. These were merely occasional lapses, not constant ones. Though they were unavoidable minor mistakes that wouldn't affect the overall outcome, You Chen always reacted as if on high alert.

Calming himself, You Chen carried the warm water upstairs. Ji An drank it all in gulps while holding onto his hand, then lay back down, curling up as if to say he didn't want to be disturbed, and continued to sleep.

Bending down, You Chen kissed his cheek lightly a few times before going downstairs to cook noodles.

The previous night, Ji An had eaten many things he usually wouldn't, which made You Chen very happy. He thought that since Ji An could now accept food other than congee, perhaps breakfast could be changed as well.

After cooking the noodles, he went upstairs to wake Ji An. Ji An was reluctant to get up, so You Chen said, "But I made noodles for the little dog. If the little dog doesn't get up soon, the noodles will get soggy and can't be eaten."

"Then I won't make noodles for the little dog next time."

Ji An immediately woke up, looked at him with a hint of grievance, and tried to get out of bed to wash up, only to find his legs too weak to stand.

He looked up at You Chen, who smiled and scratched his chin, asking knowingly, "What's wrong? Why aren't you moving?"

Ji An pouted unhappily, pondering how to sulk with You Chen, but his body honestly leaned towards him, burying his face in You Chen's abdomen, mumbling, "I can't stand up."

"You Chen, carry me."

You Chen noticed that although Ji An wasn't very good at acting spoiled, he often used this tactic on him, just like the phrase "You Chen, kiss me," which never failed.

He was quite adept at applying what he learned. Would he eventually say "You Chen, hold my hand," "You Chen, feed me," or even…

Ah, that's unlikely. You Chen pulled himself back from his wandering thoughts and bent down to carry Ji An to wash up. Ji An couldn't stand steadily, so You Chen held him from behind, burying his face in Ji An's nape, rubbing affectionately.

Ji An tried to ignore the kiss marks on his neck, but his gaze caught the sight of bite marks on his wrist.

He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, then turned to show You Chen, pointing at the marks. You Chen glanced at them, seemingly unsatisfied with a quick look, and took Ji An's wrist to examine it closely.

Ji An waited for You Chen to explain, but didn't expect You Chen to suddenly lower his head and bite his wrist again. Ji An's eyes widened, and just as he opened his mouth, he was kissed, a cool minty tongue slipping in, spreading the flavor in both their mouths.

His legs were already weak, and whatever You Chen wanted to do was easily accomplished. It seemed he always allowed You Chen to bully him.

In the end, the noodles did get soggy.

For the first time, Ji An was truly upset. You Chen held him, patting his back and apologizing, knowing that while the bowl of noodles meant little to him, it was very important to Ji An.

"Little dog, don't be mad. You'll have many chances to eat noodles cooked by You Chen. You Chen will only cook noodles for the little dog."

Ji An, snuggled in You Chen's arms, was panting heavily, genuinely angry, but still easy to soothe. After a few ear rubs and cheek pinches, You Chen repeatedly promised to only cook noodles for the little dog, and Ji An stopped being angry, sitting obediently at the table waiting for You Chen to cook another bowl.

After Ji An finished a whole bowl of noodles, You Chen was relieved, but an hour later, he still made a cup of milk formula for Ji An to drink.

After drinking it, Ji An felt sleepy. While You Chen typed on the computer, Ji An nestled in his arms, sleeping soundly.

His shorts were short, leaving his legs exposed, pale and gleaming. His ankles bore bruises from where You Chen had grabbed them the previous night. Additionally, the kiss marks on his legs, from the calves to the inner thighs, were increasing in density, left by You Chen who ignored his pleas.

You Chen tried to focus on the computer, but his thoughts drifted uncontrollably to the previous night. Ji An's face was flushed from crying, biting his finger and mumbling his name, legs resting on You Chen's shoulders, feet stretched taut, toes curling tightly. He had grabbed Ji An's foot and bit it, making Ji An tremble all over, covering his mouth.

It seemed that Ji An's feet were a hidden switch, as kissing them triggered particularly intense emotional reactions.

Perhaps You Chen's way of expressing love and submission was something Ji An found precious and hard to ask for. But You Chen only wanted him to understand that it was the most ordinary thing.

Love would no longer be a scarce thing in Ji An's life.

Once everything settled down, time seemed to pass quickly. You Chen kept track of the days, and half a month had already passed. Ji An was recovering quickly and could now eat normally.

Afraid that Ji An didn't like hospitals, You Chen went to ask the doctor himself. The doctor diagnosed Ji An with emotional anorexia, which was easy to treat. Once his emotions improved, his appetite would naturally return. However, it couldn't be completely cured; if he fell into a bad emotional state again, it would relapse.

You Chen was determined not to let Ji An relapse.

Ji An finally returned to work at the company, but all the assignments he received were screened by You Chen, and You Chen was always the one doing the photography.

Sometimes Ji An felt like the boss of Jiaxing was You Chen.

He had gained some weight from being fed by You Chen, which made him look even better. His cheeks were plump, and his youthful appearance was favored by brands, as young girls inexplicably liked boys who looked obedient.

Chu Longyu also loved giving him a cute makeover, often curling his hair. Once, he even applied a freckle makeup look that went viral online.

Every time he photographed, You Chen would keep a few negatives for himself, not showing them to anyone, storing them on his phone, computer, and USB drive. Every electronic device he owned had backups.

He even had a special phone for certain photos that couldn't be seen, locking it in a safe with great ceremony. Sometimes, he would take it out, pinching Ji An's tear-streaked face, showing him the photos one by one.

Ji An had tried several times to steal that phone and throw it away, but each time You Chen would catch him, then drag him to the bed, bathroom, living room sofa, or simply press him against the door until he couldn't speak or cry.

The last time was on the balcony, where Ji An cried the hardest, pleading that someone might see them. You Chen remained silent, but didn't stop.

There was no way anyone would see. All the nearby buildings belonged to You Chen, and no one lived there.

But You Chen didn't plan to tell Ji An. Ji An had been spoiled by him too much and sometimes needed to remember.

Sure enough, after this incident, Ji An never again had the thought of throwing away his phone.